My aunt went to this school. One of the things she did'nt like was that after recieving your LPN you have to go back on the waiting list to finish your RN. I guess they give priority to LPN's in the community??? So if you are going for your RN you might have a long wait.

Hey I graduated from there in '07, I had a great time while there. They do have a good program and if you graduate passing the NCLEX is pretty much a given they really do prepare you to pass the test. Are you doing day program or night program? and how is it going? I wish you luck! And if you have any questions or anything feel free to pm me.

Hi I am taking my pre-reqs at ECC and will apply for the program by next August for Spring of 2010. I am stressing out about the NLN entrance exam. Was it hard? I have the study guide but I am doing horrible at my practice tests! What were your grade like when you got accepted? Waiting list? Sorry to bombard you with so many questions but I don't know anyone else that has attended this school. How is the program going? I am also considering applying for NIU's nursing program just in case (although I would not really enjoy the long drive!). Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

O.k. The NLN is a test to see if you can succeed in school, read carefully, take your time with the test and know that if nothing else you can always take it over. ECC does not have an actual wait list. They take the students with the best grades and NLN scores. If you do not get accepted to the program you are just added to the batch of the next applicants, you do not move up the list your grades and test scores have to be good enough to "beat" the other applicants. I went to find out which classes exactly got weighted in the equasion because not all classes are but I don't remember which classes are. Are you in -district ? if not it is harder because they only take 8 out of district students. If for some reason you do not get on the list the first time, look at where you can improve your chances, take the NLN over to raise your score, if there is a class (from the weighted list) that has a lower grade take it over again just do what you have to do to get in. ECC is a good school and they and they will absolutely prepare you to pass the nclex. they will also cut you form the program if they do not think you can hack it which is why they have such a high nclex pass rate. there are really strong teachers, the day program was much tighter, the evening classes which i took were much more laid back. and with as hard as the program was most of us managed to hold jobs while in school, some people worked full time. the majority of us passed the nclex with the minimum of questions so they definately give you a good education but you have to work hard. When you get in you can message me and i will give you some tips and tricks about getting through I don't know much about the NIU program other than that people that have gone there did not get as much clinical experience, someone who was further ahead in school than me had not done the things I had done in a clinical setting, that being said you absolutely should get a bachelors degree. My grades were good when I got accepted and I had a really HIGH NLN score when I got in but i had to because I was out of district, I lived in lake in the hills at the time and MCC did not yet have their nursing program so I had to do really well. The NLN exam itself is one of those tests where they give you a passage to read and then you have answer questions about the passage, and math. It is a long test and boring, but not impossible. I wish you luck ! hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions you have.

yea i also heard that ECC's nursing program is in one of the top ten nursing programs in the nation, because their standards are high. i dunno, i heard it from somewhere, can't remember where, but yea i graduated from there. it ain't no walk in the park let me tell ya. and compared to other nursing programs, ECC's passing score is 80%, anything lower than that grade on an exam or a final grade--u fail! it was a very good experience, blood, sweat, and tears.

I have been accepted into the Spring 2012 program! Yay! Just wondering if anyone knows what hours I will be in class and clinicals and what hours I will be able to work? I need to tell my boss when I will be available. Thanks!

I graduated from ECC's nursing program this past May. I absolutely loved the program, although it was VERY hard. They really do a great job at preparing you for the NCLEX. If you have any specific questions I'd love to answer them...just send me a pm

Leg81,
I'm currently in ECC nursing program. I'm in 3rd semester right now. We are almost done with the 3rd semester (one more exam - final exam!).
The schedule really depends on the class that you will be registering in Lecture class is 3 hours a day. So it's 6 lecture hours for your Nursing fundamentals class. YOu will also have a Pharmacology class which is 2.5 hours once a week. Then, you will have a lab/clinicals for 6 hours once a week. So total hours - 5.5 hours lecture and 6 hours lab per week. You are pretty much going to school 3 days lecture and 1 day clinical/lab. 4 days a week. Plus, you have to practice for your skills validations. I can say, you will be pretty much in school everyday. That's for the first semester. The load gets lighter (hours-wise) starting second semester because the content is much more harder. ECC really prepares you for the nclex because we take the HESI exam every after class (final exam). I agree with JessRN6896. The program is not easy. You have to really focus and study hard. Good luck to you! You can send me a message if you have any other questions.